'I planted a Christmas tree in my West Midlands garden in 1979 - it’s now 50ft tall and I decorate it in memory of my husband'
Watch as West Midlands woman Avril Rowlands tells the story of her and her late husband Christopher’s 50ft-tall Christmas tree - which is even on Google Maps.
A West Midlands woman has paid tribute to her late husband by decorating a Christmas tree they planted in 1979 - which now stands over 50ft tall.
Avril and Christopher Rowlands dug a hole for their £6 fir to mark their first Christmas together in their new home. More than four decades later, the whopping tree now towers over their four-bedroom detached house.
Since 2004, the couple used a cherry picker to decorate the tree with thousands of festive lights and switch them on every December. Sadly, Christopher died from emphysema in March, but Avril has vowed to continue the traditional festive switch on in his memory.
Avril, 80, who lives in Inkberrow, Worcestershire, said: “I’m decorating the tree in honour of Chris this year because he loved the spectacle. This year is going to be slightly different because we are using thousands of LED lights. Last year’s Tungsten light bulbs were blown off in the gales but a local firm donated the LEDs which are much sturdier.”
The lit tree stands as the only illumination in the village which is one of only a few in Britain with no street lighting. The famous fir is even named as a local landmark on Google and has attracted five-star reviews.
Avril, a retired TV writer, said: “People say that seeing the tree switched on is the start of their Christmas which is just lovely. We never expected that when we moved in all those years ago and planted the tree in the garden that almost 50 years later it would still be going strong.”
Over the years, Avril and Christopher raised more than £25,000 for charities by asking people viewing the tree for donations. This year, Avril hopes to raise hundreds for Asthma and Lung UK in tribute to Christopher.
